Ski Bum Truck V2.0, F450 Rough Road RV

[java]

You say uou aren't 100% sold on your wheel and tire setup. What would you pick if you did it all over? I am considering Dbl Design for wheels, tires, shocks, and I think a spacer lift. G275 tires seem like a proven choice.

What are your thoughts on regearing 9r leaving it alone? And what have you noticed for a difference in gas mileage since you went to a bigger and single wheel setup. My bus gets me 11-13 mpg right now. I am not sure what happens for mpgs if I spend the money for 41" singles.

Plusses and minutes to this setup. It's sized well for me, tires are stiff. Tires being stiff is great on the highway, sidewinds don't touch the truck, corners are great.

Offroad needs aired down. And stiff stiff.

G275 would be my choice if I could swing a 42" tire. That would need a lift and regear.

I would get a 20x9 ish made and do a LT tire of I was doing it again I think. There are some rated over 4k now.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[java]

Lunch stop in Central OR

Spent a few days parked and skiing out of the truck

Pretty sure all my batteries are getting tired.... The 6v's I got used and they are at least 5 years old. I pulled ~200Ah out of them and they were down to 10v

And the truck didn't want to start on the morning we had to leave..... And my house batteries were dead so I couldn't self jump.... It was cranking just fine, just I think a computer was pissed off about the low voltage. Luckily I carry a long ass extension cord, and was able to plug into a power site a few cars down. Started right up after a min of charging (on the charger which would bring the voltage up).

So I am in the market for new starting batteries, and a lithium jump pack I think!

 

[luthj]

I think that beast needs a lithium house pack. Add some god insulation and a pack heater, and you should have 10 good years of service.

Of course given the costs, duracell 6V GC2 batteries are ~100$ each and quite durable.

When it comes to starter batteries, get them tested first. About half the time I find there is a bad cable or charging issue, and battery is just a symptom.

 

[java]

I think that beast needs a lithium house pack. Add some god insulation and a pack heater, and you should have 10 good years of service.

Of course given the costs, duracell 6V GC2 batteries are ~100$ each and quite durable.

When it comes to starter batteries, get them tested first. About half the time I find there is a bad cable or charging issue, and battery is just a symptom.

I'm tempted to try lithium, but the cold charging, and cost makes me a little nervous still. Pack heater is all fine and dandy if they have the power to run it..... Under my bed, where the batteeries live was ~35 degrees all last week. Not ideal for lithium. Good for beer storage though!

I don't want to run a wet cell battery, they are inside my truck.... Hydrogen under my bed wouldn't be fun. Unfortunately they are ~$330 each for the ones I have.... FullRiver 224AH 6V

I got the batteries "tested" by the local auto parts place. But there are two and they were tied together still, not sure that's a valid test. They are also probably 5 years old at least.

 

[luthj]

Honestly, hydrogren is not a problem in my experience. There is no risk of explosion in a vehicle with a normal sized bank. Maybe if you have a charger that does a 4 hour equalize charge at 15V? But that's not likely the case. There is a slight odor when charging, but its pretty minor for most. Especially in a decent box. Maybe if you have a charger that does a 4 hour equalize charge at 15V?

DIY lithium boxes with 1" of XPS insulation only need about 20-50W of heat to stay above 50F. You can build a 200AH prismatic pack for something like 700$ in parts (plus box, insulation etc). LFP packs can be discharged at any temperature (there is capacity reduction when cold). They just can't be charged quickly below 50F, and almost no charging is permitted below 32F. With a decent pack heater this isn't an issue, and the BMS will disconnect the charge sources if the pack is too cold anyways.

 

[java]

Honestly, hydrogren is not a problem in my experience. There is no risk of explosion in a vehicle with a normal sized bank. Maybe if you have a charger that does a 4 hour equalize charge at 15V? But that's not likely the case. There is a slight odor when charging, but its pretty minor for most. Especially in a decent box. Maybe if you have a charger that does a 4 hour equalize charge at 15V?

DIY lithium boxes with 1" of XPS insulation only need about 20-50W of heat to stay above 50F. You can build a 200AH prismatic pack for something like 700$ in parts (plus box, insulation etc). LFP packs can be discharged at any temperature (there is capacity reduction when cold). They just can't be charged quickly below 50F, and almost no charging is permitted below 32F. With a decent pack heater this isn't an issue, and the BMS will disconnect the charge sources if the pack is too cold anyways.

My batteries are not enclosed, but yes its 'probably' never going to be a problem.... But Id rather not risk it.... I found I can get Victron AGM's (that I think are the same footprint) for a fair bit less.

Take worst case, 50w*12hrs is 50Ah. That would double my daily consumption, and need again a larger pack....

One other thought, I have never done an equalization on these.... Worth doing?

 

[luthj]

Most AGMs should never be equalize charged. Some MFGs have a "recovery charge", check the documentation to see if they have details for one.

As I said, there is no explosion risk of any kind. The only concern would be some mild odor during extended charging. I lived in a van for years with 2x GC2 batteries under the seat/bed. I only had odor when I triggered a manual equalize charge ever 60 days or so.

 

[java]

Most AGMs should never be equalize charged. Some MFGs have a "recovery charge", check the documentation to see if they have details for one.

As I said, there is no explosion risk of any kind. The only concern would be some mild odor during extended charging. I lived in a van for years with 2x GC2 batteries under the seat/bed. I only had odor when I triggered a manual equalize charge ever 60 days or so.

That's what I read.... Just says keep them fully charged. Either way, I think I will use these for awhile longer, just being aware that they don't have as much capacity.

From the Batt manual, at 30 degrees I should have gotten ~80% capacity, that would put me around 400AH, if they are tired, maybe I should only expect 300 max to full discharge.

 

[luthj]

I would do a capacity test.

Lead needs to be fully charged as often as possible. Every week, or 5 cycles is best. This can take 12-24 hours. The absorb voltage needs to be held until the return current drops to 1% of rated capacity. Or 4A in this case. It sounds like you have gotten good life from the pack.

 

[java]

I would do a capacity test.

Lead needs to be fully charged as often as possible. Every week, or 5 cycles is best. This can take 12-24 hours. The absorb voltage needs to be held until the return current drops to 1% of rated capacity. Or 4A in this case. It sounds like you have gotten good life from the pack.

I'll see what I can do. The amps did level off at 4 last time I was driving. It stays plugged in all the time at home, so should get a good charge.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[java]

Played ski cabin all weekend.

Snow did not suck.

 

[Fatboyz]

Do you have your solar and house batteries hooked to your road batteries through an ACR? My solar set up has been working to keep my road batteries right topped up. My 7.3 needs all the cranking to get going especially in the cold.

 

[java]

Do you have your solar and house batteries hooked to your road batteries through an ACR? My solar set up has been working to keep my road batteries right topped up. My 7.3 needs all the cranking to get going especially in the cold.

Yes, but not much solar this time of year.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[Alloy]

We did 5 days over New Years at 5F the

Yes, but not much solar this time of year.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

We just did a trip at Manning Park. The 2,600W solar brought in 0.6 (cloud and no direct sun - see pic ) to 1.0Kw / day. Enought to keep the heat (55-60F day & 45F night) and lights on.

On a bright day (no direct sun) I ran our (200W) dehimidifier off the inverter for 6 hours. It had 4 1/2 cups of water in it but the batteries ended up at 90% so the generator came out. A snow cave (opening facing away from the trailer) reduces the noise to almost zero.

I figure opening a roof vent 2"-3" during night uses less battery power than the dehumidifirer as long as there is enough propane for the heaters.

 

[java]

We did 5 days over New Years at 5F the


We just did a trip at Manning Park. The 2,600W solar brought in 0.6 (cloud and no direct sun - see pic ) to 1.0Kw / day. Enought to keep the heat (55-60F day & 45F night) and lights on.

On a bright day (no direct sun) I ran our (200W) dehimidifier off the inverter for 6 hours. It had 4 1/2 cups of water in it but the batteries ended up at 90% so the generator came out. A snow cave (opening facing away from the trailer) reduces the noise to almost zero.

I figure opening a roof vent 2"-3" during night uses less battery power than the dehumidifirer as long as there is enough propane for the heaters.

View attachment 559992View attachment 559995

I only have 465W....

But yes, I leave one maxxfan one all the time. Helps immensely.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk